As the death toll from the Maui wildfires continues to climb, a Houston man who grew up in Lahaina is pleading for help as his family and friends who lost everything attempt to rebuild their lives.
Edson Crispin lives in Houston now but said Lahaina will forever be his home.
He’s currently trying to raise money to help his aunt, uncle, three cousins, and his friends who are in desperate need of basic necessities in the wake of those deadly wildfires.
“From what I hear, it was instant. There was no warning. just instant,” Crispin said.
He added that this family’s neighborhood in Lahaina was swallowed by the flames leaving nothing but smoldering remains.
“They’re still in survivor mode. They haven’t had time to grieve or process everything that’s just happened,” Crispin said.
While communications have been a challenge, Crispin talked to his relatives Sunday night as they are now staying with friends. He said it is such a struggle right now for survivors in need of critical supplies and will be for quite some time.
“They need fuel. They need clothes. They need food,” Crispin said.
Crispin said all he has left are memories of the places he used to frequent in Lahaina, like the popular Front Street which traces its roots to the 1700′s and was on the National Register of Historic Places.
“It wiped out all of Front street,” he said. “That’s where I grew up so it’s unbelievable to me to even process that all of Lahaina got wiped out. That’s insane.”
The community is now coming together to help one another through this crisis.
“Maui is definitely strong. I’m sure they are going to come back but they need our help,” Crispin said.
If you’d like to help the Galindo family, Crispin has set up a GoFundme.
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